Catching apparatus for poultry, in particular for chicks

ABSTRACT

A catching apparatus for poultry, in particular for chicks, has a circuit for pneumatic transport of the poultry with a tube (2) of a diameter suitable for pneumatic transport of poultry through the tube. The tube has a catching end (8) and a delivery end with branches (4, 5) connected to respective suction boxes (6, 7). The suction boxes (6, 7) have respective pairs of walls (30, 31, 32, 33) to be opened for receiving and discharging poultry transport boxes. The suction boxes are connected to a blower (17) so as to produce air suction flow through the tube from the catching end to the delivery end into the suction boxes. The suction boxes contain loading places for loading poultry transport boxes with the pneumatic transported poultry. Bypasses (26, 26&#39;) reduce air flow speed in the delivery end.

The invention relates to a catching apparatus for poultry, in particularfor chicks, comprising a circuit for pneumatic transport of the poultry,provided with a tube of a diameter suitable for pneumatic transport ofthe poultry through the tube, said tube having a catching end, and adelivery end, respectively, for the poultry, and with means connected tothe tube for producing an air suction flow in the tube in the directionof the catching end towards the delivery end.

Such an apparatus is known from British Patent No. 1,388,613. This priorart apparatus has the object to transport the poultry caught therewithin a compartmentalized container arranged on the loading floor of atruck to the eventual destination, mostly the slaughter-house. Thesupply of the poultry to the compartments in the container takes placepneumatically by means of a transport tube. A system is used wherein thepoultry to be transported is caught by sucking the animals into the tubewherein an air suction flow is maintained and by pneumaticallytransporting these animals directly to the container under the influenceof the air flow, delivering them to the respective compartments, towhich the tube is detachably coupled. The speed at which the poultryexits from the tube is essentially equal to the transport speed throughthe tube.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the abovedescribed type, wherein, however, the animals are loaded not in acontainer, but in transport boxes having accommodation for a limitednumber of animals which are transported in that form to the destination,such as the slaughter-house, said boxes being stacked onto each otherand arranged on the loading floor of e.g. a truck. In particular, it isan object of the invention to provide an apparatus enabling to supplythe animals at a controllable speed, in particular a reduced speedrelative to the transport speed through the tube, to the transportboxes.

The invention is characterized in that the circuit comprises a suctionbox having one or more walls to be opened, which suction box isconnected to the means for producing the air suction flow and withinwhich the delivery end of the tube is provided, while the suction boxcontains a loading place for loading a poultry transport box with thepneumatically transported poultry.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the apparatuscomprises control means for the air flow speed in the form of one ormore bypasses, the one end of which is connected to a tube portionsituated ahead of the suction chamber and the other end terminates inthe suction chamber beyond the loading place.

Preferably, the walls of the suction box to be opened are connectable totransport means for the separate supply, and discharge, respectively, ofthe poultry transport boxes to and from, respectively, the suction box.

In connection with the embodiment indicated in the preceding paragraph,it is furthermore highly advantageous to design the apparatus in such amanner that the tube divides into two branches, the delivery endsthereof terminating each individually in either of the two suctionboxes, while adjacent the branching point the tube is fitted withcollapsible direction flaps for guiding the pneumatically suppliedpoultry to each of the suction boxes. Thus, in spite of a charge-wisefill-up of the animals, nevertheless a continuous capture of the animalshas become possible.

One embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention will now bedescribed by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the arrangement of the apparatusaccording to the invention within the entire system of the capture ofthe animals to be transported, the loading thereof in transport boxesand the supply to and stacking on the loading floor of a truck of thefilled-up transport boxes;

FIG. 2 more in particular is a top view of an embodiment of theapparatus according to the invention.

In the drawing, 1 represents the catching apparatus with the transporttube 2, which branches at 3, which branches 4, 5 are connected to thesuction boxes 6, 7.

At the catching end, 8 represents a flexible forked hose connected tothe transport tube 2.

At 9 are indicated empty transport boxes for being conveyed on rollertracks 11, 12 through respective openable sides 30 and 31 into therespective suction boxes 6 and 7. The filled-up transport boxes aretransferred alternately from the suction boxes 6, 7 through respectiveopenable sides 32, 33 onto conveyor belt 10 and supplied to the truck 14where the transport boxes are manually taken off and stacked.

The apparatus required for operating the catching apparatus is shown at15 in FIG. 1 and comprises (FIG. 2) a Diesel engine 16 driving a blower17 for producing suction or partial vacuum through filter 18 and duct 34to suction boxes 6 and 7. A compressor 19 and a meter box with switchdesk 20 are provided for controlling the apparatus.

The end portions 23, 24 of the transport tube 2, at the delivery endthereof, contain shut-off valves 21, 22 by means of which the supply ofthe suction box can be opened or closed when an empty transport box isarranged in the respective suction box for being loaded, or has to beremoved from the suction box when it is filled. At 25 are indicateddirection flaps by means of which the air flow in the transport tube 2can be conducted to the suction boxes 6, 7. Valve 22 is thereforeopened.

Finally, 26, 26' indicate a set of conduits which is connected on theone end to the transport tube 2, upstream adjacent the branching point 3and the other end of which terminates in a suction box in a place afterthe transport box disposed therein. Through said conduits 26, 26' air iswithdrawn from the main flow of the air in the tube 2 so that the airflow speed decreases and the animals entrained by the air flow arrive inthe transport box at a lower adapted speed. Thus, an average air flowspeed maintained in practice for the pneumatic transport of chicks of30-50 m/sec. can be reduced to a desired speed level of 20-30 m/sec. onsupply to the transport box. Naturally, the catching apparatus accordingto the invention, as discussed in the above and shown in the drawings,can be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. A catching apparatus for poultry, in particular for chicks,comprising a circuit for pneumatic transport of the poultry, providedwith a tube of a diameter suitable for pneumatic transport of thepoultry through the tube, said tube containing a catching end, and adelivery end, respectively, for the poultry, and with means connected tothe tube for producing an air suction flow in the tube in the directionof the catching end towards the delivery end, characterized in that thecircuit comprisesa suction box having one or more walls to be opened,which suction box connects to the means for producing the air suctionflow and within which the delivery end of the tube is disposed, whilethe suction box contains a loading place for loading a poultry transportbox with the pneumatically transported poultry; and control means forthe air flow speed, including one or more bypasses, one end of which isconnected to a portion of the tube situated ahead of the suction box,and the other end of which terminates in the suction box beyond theloading place.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized inthat the walls of the suction box to be opened are connectable totransport means for the separate supply and discharge, respectively, ofthe poultry transport box to, and from, respectively, the suction box.3. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube isclosable at the delivery end by a valve disposed therein.
 4. Anapparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the tubedivides into two branches, the delivery end thereof terminating eachindividually in either of two suction boxes, while adjacent thebranching point the tube is provided with collapsible direction flapsfor guiding the pneumatically supplied poultry to each of the suctionboxes.